English Education Resources

English education professors,

Use this forum item to share your best resources--unit plans, lesson plans, writing invitations, or other ideas that have worked for you in a university setting.

Just reply to this discussion item with a brief description of your resource and then attach any files that go along with it. Ideally, we'll have a rich archive for new and veteran teachers alike. Be sure to include your name, and be sure to credit any resources you use from this site.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Rozema on February 19, 2009 at 11:16am

Title : Parent Protest: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Levels/Subjects: I use this with students in my methods courses, but it could easily fit in high school or late middle school.

Description: This is a role play that asks students to discuss the possible censorship of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Students divide into three groups: teachers, parents, and school board. Teachers work to develop a rationale for teaching the text; parents work to create possible arguments against it; the school board moderates the discussion and renders a final verdict. I've had great (and sometimes heated) discussions with this activity.

It may be modified to fit any controversial novel. For English education methods courses, I recommend accompanying reading from Ellen Brinkley's excellent text Caught Off Guard.

Attachments:

Parent Protest--Maya Angelou.doc, 31 KB

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Permalink Reply by Carol Steele on April 12, 2009 at 8:27pm

ASCD just published my book, The Inspired Teacher: How to know One, Grow One or Be One. You can read sample chapters at www.carolsteele.net or at the ASCD website. It offers some new ideas that will be generally helpful to individual teachers and to groups of teachers encouraging one another.

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Permalink Reply by Kia Jane Richmond on February 13, 2011 at 9:18pm

I'm working with students in my EN 309 class (Teaching of Writing) on connecting ideas from Nancie Atwell's In the Middle, Jim Burke's Writing Reminders, and Mary Ehrenworth's Looking to Write. I have them create and share lesson plans that include writing across the curriculum in grades K-12. Recently, they created lesson plans using the Newspapers in Education model

http://www.nieonline.com/ -- incorporating newspapers into the teaching of various subjects. Next, we'll be constructing minilessons and preparing to write lessons connecting art and writing.

I have these undergrad students go into the schools (individually) and observe for up to 10 hours in a classroom that includes writing. They reflect on these experiences in class and in an observation report at the end of the term. I'm wondering what kinds of questions others in English Ed have students consider when they are observing or doing early field experiences on their own.

Thanks for your feedback. :) Kia Jane